National-level player, another teen die as basketball poles crash on them

A national-level player and another teen died in two separate freak accidents on basketball courts in Haryana's Rohtak and Bahadurgarh, after the iron pole of the basketball hoop fell on them, police said on Wednesday (November 26). Family members accuse authorities of negligence that led to the deaths of two teenagers.

While the opposition parties slammed the BJP government in Haryana over the “crumbling” sports infrastructure in the state, Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini told reporters that he would first gather all the details before commenting on the matter.

National-level player dies

In Rohtak, national-level basketball player Hardik Rathi (16) died after the iron pole of a basketball hoop fell on his chest during practice, while in Bahadurgarh in neighbouring Jhajjar district, 15-year-old Aman succumbed to injuries he suffered in a similar accident.

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It should be noted that Hardik Rathi participated in the national sub-junior basketball championship. On November 25, he was practising at the sports complex at Lakhan Majra in Rohtak. His practice session was captured on the CCTV footage. In the video, he was seen reaching for the hoop, but as soon as he attempted to hang from it, the pole collapsed and crushed him under it.

Other players sitting on the court side rushed him to a hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries, local SHO Samarjeet Singh said.

'Death due to negligence'

Khadak Singh, Hardik's elder brother, said that the condition of the iron pole, which he claimed was rusted, had been brought to the notice of officials on multiple occasions, but nothing was done to fix it. He further noted that not just the family, but the nation had lost a promising basketball player due to the authorities' negligence.

Holding the Sports Department and the government responsible for his brother’s death, Singh said Hardik never missed any competition, be it U-14 or U-17, as it was his dream to lead the Indian basketball team one day.

"Hardik used to train twice a day. As soon as he tried to touch the hoop on Tuesday morning, it got uprooted and fell on his chest, leading to internal bleeding, which proved fatal,” he said.

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He also claimed that Congress MP Deepender Hooda got two grounds built in the village, and in 2023, sanctioned Rs 11 lakh from his MPLAD funds, but the officials concerned did nothing about it and did not repair the basketball pole.

Sunita Khatri, Deputy Director, Rohtak Sports Division, said, “The Lakhan Majra stadium is managed by the panchayat department.”

Police said the circumstances leading to the collapse of the iron poles in both incidents, including the condition of the equipment, are being investigated.

Bahadurgarh accident

Another similar accident that took place in Bahadurgarh killed Aman, a 15-year-old boy on November 23. Aman had gone to a basketball court on the premises of a government school for practice.

The teenager was left critically injured after an iron pole fell on him, and he died at PGIMS Rohtak during treatment on November 24, SHO (City) Dinkar Yadav said.

Political debate

Commenting on the incidents, Haryana's Development and Panchayat Minister Krishan Lal Panwar said the concerned officials would inspect sports equipment at all the schools, including private institutes.

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Leader of Opposition and former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda slammed the state government over the incidents, and said the previous Congress regime built stadiums even at the village level so that the youth could channelise their energy in a positive direction and bring laurels for the nation.

“But the present government led by the BJP did not take care of the sports infrastructure built by the Congress,” he alleged.

'Murder by the system'

Congress general secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala called Hardik’s death a murder by the system, and not an accident.

In a post on X in Hindi, Surjewala wrote, “He was a promising young talent from Haryana. Can the BJP government return the son to his parents? CM Nayab Saini also bears direct responsibility."

हरियाणा के लाखनमाजरा में नेशनल बास्केटबॉल प्लेयर हार्दिक की मौत एक हादसा नहीं, भाजपा सरकार के सिस्टम द्वारा की गई एक हत्या है ।हार्दिक हरियाणा की युवा प्रतिभा भी था, एक बेटा भी और एक होनहार नौजवान भी । क्या भाजपा सरकार माँ बाप को उनका बेटा वापस दे पायेगी?CM श्री नायब सैनी की… pic.twitter.com/6taUvThxAp

— Randeep Singh Surjewala (@rssurjewala) November 26, 2025

“Players from Lakhna Majra met Nayab Saini three months ago demanding maintenance of sports infrastructure, but nothing happened. Same old story, no change. What was the reason for this criminal negligence? If you can't even fix a single pole, what kind of government are you running?” wrote Surjewala.

Congress slams BJP

Congress MP from Rohtak, Deepender Singh Hooda, alleged that sports equipment and infrastructure in stadiums are lying in a dilapidated condition.

“The way two lives have been lost, it is no less than criminal negligence for which the government is responsible,” he said.

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He also said that despite Haryana contributing half of the medals the country wins in any international event, including the Olympic Games, the BJP government did not care about the proper upkeep of sports facilities in the state.